Missing horse died in a ‘tragic incident’ on SLO County coast. Here’s what happened
A horse that went missing on Saturday was found dead Thursday in a “tragic incident” near Montaña de Oro, the Horse Emergency Evacuation Team of San Luis Obispo County announced.
“While we all look forward to happy endings, this incident garnered enough attention that we wanted to provide closure now that owner has been notified,” the team said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
On Saturday, an equestrian fell off their horse while riding at Montaña de Oro, Cal Fire said.
The person was injured in the fall, and the horse went missing.
The Horse Emergency Evacuation Team stepped in to search for the horse.
On Tuesday, the team discovered that the horse had fallen down a 1,000-foot cliff near Oats Peak and died.
“State Parks staff workers hiked in with a drone guiding the way of one very brave staff person who hiked down the cliff and through incredibly thick poison oak and brush to finally reach the deceased horse,” the Facebook post said. “They said a drone alone or a helicopter would never have seen through the dense brush and trees.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM.
